Blurring Boundaries
by AllyBallyBee
Summary: A possible second chapter for 'Comfort' but not one that I wanted to attach so that both stories could also be stand alones. The morning after the night before.


He woke to feel his chest pressed against something warm, something solid, something...feminine. In the early moments of consciousness, he had no idea where he was but it felt real. Felt like he'd been here forever.

Or at least since last night. Ah, the conscious side of his brain had suddenly made an appearance.

He moved his arm slightly, sensing its position on the other side of the warmth that he had now realised was Scully. Attempting to pull his arm towards its rightful owner, he was surprised when it was pulled back to its original position, situated firmly around her waist. Even more surprised when her fingers laced through his and securely laid stake to his hand.

He couldn't move, realised he was pretty much stuck here. He couldn't complain.

Although he knew his bladder would eventually. He'd overcome that problem when he came to it.

Right now, his main concern was Scully waking up and finding his arm around her. Sure, it was her hand that was preventing him from removing his own but he was pretty sure that minor factor wouldn't be enough to get him out of the inevitable reprimand that he was bound to receive.

He'd just stay here until that happened. May as well enjoy the warmth whilst he still could.

***

She was largely aware of the arm around her, knew that it was something she didn't often awaken to find wrapped securely around her waist. Yet, in her first moments of waking up, she knew it was what she had needed for a long time. She was reluctant to break it.

And then she remembered that it was Mulder's fingers that she was holding; Mulder's broad chest that was pressed firmly to her back; Mulder's legs that hers was currently lying between.

Mulder. Oh god.

She didn't know what to do. Move and it would be pretty obvious that she was awake. Stay still and it would mean that she would have to stay like this for longer than she cared to.

Not because it wasn't everything that she had thought about for a long time now but because it would prolong the time she had to think about all that this meant.

She took the easy route.

"Rise and shine Mulder, rise and shine" She sat up, simultaneously moving to the opposite side of the bed from where he was; his arm falling to the mattress. Taking as long as she could to rise so that she wouldn't have to look at him. She was forever grateful for big flannel pyjamas that hid any number of faults.

Slowly, she rose from the bed, still refusing to turn in his direction; hoping that he would have risen from the bed so as to leave.

Turning towards her bed, she saw that he was still lying under the covers. If anything, he had pulled them up further around his neck.

"And what do you think you're doing?" She imbued as much humour and false annoyance into her voice as she could muster. It was a struggle.

"Sleeping" The answer came muffled through her thick duvet.

"Well maybe you should do that in your own bed" She didn't mean to show her aggravation but it was becoming increasingly difficult to look at the man who she had not spent more than a foot away from in the past couple of hours with only a thin sheath of material between them. The thin sheath of material that was still all that covered her bare skin.

Especially this man. This man whose arm, whose body, had made her feel like she had finally come home.

"God, Scully, you were the one that got me in here. You can't just kick me out"

"Watch me" She said as she threw the covers off of her partner's lanky frame. She was aware that she probably shouldn't be treating him in this way when he had left the comfort of his apartment in the dead of the night to be with her but she was more than willing to keep up her front of annoyance if it got him to leave.

She needed to sort her head out.

"Fine. You're worse than my mother, Scully"

"Good. Now, I would offer you coffee but you should probably go and get ready for the day. There will probably be a pile of cases waiting in the office for us."

"You're a slave driver, you know that" She was glad to see him rise from the bed and reach for his shoes.

As she watched his retreating form move towards her front door, she almost wished that she was asking him to stay. Or at least allowing herself the freedom of inviting him back to her bed.

She wasn't ready for that. It had taken her more than enough to ask him to stay last night and she knew, could feel, that it was going to take her a while to get over that.

Take her a while to get used to sleeping without his warmth behind her, his heartbeat lulling her into a dreamless slumber.

As the door closed, part of her crumbled. Yet, the other part knew that she had made the right decision. Mulder was her partner.

It was enough to know that he would be there if she needed him; if she ever felt the urge to ask him again to come to her side and be her other half. Just for the night.

***


End file.
